Developing-world shark fisheries are typically not assessed or actively managed for sustainability; one fundamental obstacle is the lack of species and size-composition catch data. We tested and implemented a new and potentially widely applicable approach for collecting these data: mandatory submission of low-value secondary fins (anal fins) from landed sharks by fishers and use of the fins to reconstruct catch species and size. Visual and low-cost genetic identification were used to determine species composition, and linear regression was applied to total length and anal fin base length for catch-size reconstruction. We tested the feasibility of this approach in Belize, first in a local proof-of-concept study and then scaling it up to the national level for the 2017-2018 shark-fishing season (1,786 fins analyzed). Sixteen species occurred in this fishery. The most common were the Caribbean reef (Carcharhinus perezi), blacktip (C. limbatus), sharpnose (Atlantic [Rhizoprionodon terraenovae] and Caribbean [R. porosus] considered as a group), and bonnethead (Sphyrna cf. tiburo). Sharpnose and bonnethead sharks were landed primarily above size at maturity, whereas Caribbean reef and blacktip sharks were primarily landed below size at maturity. Our approach proved effective in obtaining critical data for managing the shark fishery, and we suggest the tools developed as part of this program could be exported to other nations in this region and applied almost immediately if there were means to communicate with fishers and incentivize them to provide anal fins. Outside the tropical Western Atlantic, we recommend further investigation of the feasibility of sampling of secondary fins, including considerations of time, effort, and cost of species identification from these fins, what secondary fin type to use, and the means with which to communicate with fishers and incentivize participation. This program could be a model for collecting urgently needed data for developing-world shark fisheries globally.

Although patient complexity was unchanged, a comparison of numerical ratings and resident comments before and after the restructuring indicates that hospitalists lead teams differently from subspecialists, with more emphasis on resident decision-making and autonomy.

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Introduction: Quality of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) contributes significantly to morbidity and mortality in both in-hospital and out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. Key parameters that determine the CPR quality are compression rate, compression depth, duration of interruptions, chest recoil factor and respiratory rate. Several studies have demonstrated that real-time audiovisual feedback improves CPR quality in both bystanders and hospital staff. This study aims to develop and validate a smart device (phones and wearable technology) application to provide real-time audiovisual and haptic feedback to optimize CPR quality, by calculating aforementioned chest compression parameters. Hypothesis: A mobile application using acceleration sensor data from smart devices can provide accurate real time CPR quality feedback. Methods: A mobile application was developed to track the compression depth, compression rate and pause duration in real time using the data captured from the on-device accelerometer. The mobile device was placed on an adult manikin’s chest along the midline close to the point of compressions. Data from the application was compared directly to data obtained from a validated clinical standard CPR quality tool. Results: CPR quality parameters were obtained from the app and the standard for 60, 10-second-long sessions. Bland-Altman plot analysis for compression depth showed agreement between the app measurements and standard within +/-3.5mm (Figure 1). The intraclass correlation for agreement in the measurement of compression count was 0.92 (95% CI: 0.88-0.95), indicative of very strong agreement. Conclusions: Smart device (phones and wearable technology) applications using acceleration sensor data can accurately provide real-time CPR quality feedback. With further development and validation they can provide a ubiquitous CPR feedback tool valuable for out of hospital arrests and in under-privileged areas worldwide.

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